‘Drug dealing’ in a children’s play area in Wicklow Street

A PUBLIC meeting has been called by residents whose street has become overwhelmed by drug dealing in King’s Cross.

The group in Wicklow Street, who pulled together in response to the crisis, have been calling for radical action and an end to tired old ideas after shocking footage emerged of dealing and drug-taking outside Derby Lodge.

Senior police chiefs have committed to sending representatives and the three King’s Cross ward councillors have also told our newspaper that they would attend.

It follows a fortnight of support from the New Journal calling for a progressive approach to problematic drug use on Camden streets.

Since the coverage, the Met and the council say they have introduced more patrols in the Wicklow Street, agreed plans for a “walkabout” with residents and committed to setting up an “action plan” with input from residents.

One Wicklow Street resident said: “It’s about time we had a proper sit-down meeting with everyone involved… our constituency MP, Keir Starmer, the police, councillors, and housing associations, because whatever they’ve done in the past clearly isn’t working. The problems just keep getting worse, and it’s us residents who have to live with it every day.

“Any plans they come up with are going to impact our lives, so we should be part of the conversation. We need a radical new approach to sort this out once and for all. Plus, it’d help with community cohesion if all the key players actually took the time to listen to us residents for a change. Our voices need to be heard.

“This meeting needs to happen as soon as possible. The community is demanding immediate steps to address this crisis, and we believe that a coordinated effort from all parties involved is essential to restoring safety and security to our neighbourhood.”

People living in Wicklow Street say enough is enough

The New Journal has run two front-page stories about the situation in King’s Cross where open dealing and drug-taking is happening throughout the day in full view of residents and in a children’s playground.

The problem has temporarily gone away since the coverage, but residents are concerned that it may return.

Police chiefs have responded to their pleas, saying “my teams are aware and are implementing an ongoing plan to address this” while councillor Jonathan Simpson said “stuff is definitely happening”.

He said he had helped secure the walkabout with police reps and is drawing up an “action plan” that would help residents, adding: “They have every right to feel safe coming in and out of their homes.”

As ever, funding is an issue for the police who say they do not have the resources to make a meaningful response to drug deals in Camden.

The New Journal has been inundated with reaction from residents in estates across the borough about similar problems and a lack of response.

In a statement to the New Journal, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras and Prime Minister, added: “This kind of behaviour is deeply unacceptable and has no place in our society. Local residents can be assured that I’m in regular contact with the Met police, and am in touch with them about their ongoing work to tackle this issue.

“My team and I regularly support constituents with concerns around unacceptable anti-social behaviour and drug-taking on our streets.

“I would encourage any constituents of Holborn and St Pancras who have specific concerns to contact my constituency team.

“Everyone should feel safe on our streets, and we will continue to work closely with partners to crack down on this criminal activity and anti-social behaviour for the people of Holborn and St Pancras.”

The meeting is expected to be held in the Derby Lodge community centre in the first week of September.